Welcome Spring

Another good reason to welcome Spring..lots of color! I had fun while working on this piece! Netting and more netting til you've got it done...This was a fun study in color shifting/blending, moving from one color to the next in a subtle way.

Spring is coming

Made a cute little St. Petersburg Lace bracelet in the new spring colors. Add a little orange to almost anything to make it pop! The best color in a while, Tangerine Tango...or as my dear hubby would say...orange is the new black.

Button, button...

Who else has a big button collection? You know it's big when the buttons sit in jars and vintage canisters and boxes...Are mounted on cards over thirty years old and are made of quality materials like real glass and lead crystal and porcelain and bakelite!

Here is one idea, from fellow artist and button lover, Starr...Make a simple crossweave bracelet with several buttons...start with one larger button for the clasp and add crystals or other vintage beads on the side. so easy and so fast! A great way to use buttons as gifts for friends and family. Perhaps some of the collection will find its' way into new hearts and hands.

Dragonfly Pendant

Oh the wonderful world of buttons! This beautiful button was found by chance at a vintage button trunk show...much like the one at Monica's Quilt and Bead Creations on til Sunday, Feb 26th.

How different this piece became after I changed out a large bead and inserted this vintage button. In a class taken with Jaime Cloud Eakins, one of the foremost authors of bead embroidery, I created this small pendant, a feature in her newest book, Dimensional Bead Embroidery.

It was a fun piece to make, in part, I think, of the use of those bugle beads. Boy, did they cover the area quickly! After I had finished, I found the button so then the challenge on how to change it since the backing was complete. One of the reasons I make these pieces with lots of new threads is so I can change something later. So glad I had done the same here! I knew the other old bead and surrounding bead trim were each on their own thread line. If I cut one section away it wasn't going to interfere with the neighboring beads. The biggest threat was the backing, but since that was in Ultrasuede I knew it was going to be easier than leather to stitch through. Very happily I set about to change my old bead into a new button and I think it improved the piece exponentially!

Come to Monica's and see tables full of wonderful Vintage Buttons and Beads this weekend!

Get inspired by a cute button bracelet made by Starr and stay for a free "Make & Take"!!!

B&B Bangle with a catch

Charming photography, don't you think? My honey is doing a great job, wait 'til I find him a great camera, then he'll have a good time!

This bracelet, constructed with 3mm Swarovski Pearls, Tila Beads and 4mm bicones has a circular bead path and tension is key here to help form the shape. From the January issue of bead & button, this piece caught my eye, but alas, I don't wear bangles well. So, my change-up or "catch" is the magnetic barrel at each end, which I covered in cirular peyote.

This particular magnet is simple in shape and has a deep hole in which to sink a head pin, crimp or stop bead. A circle of sixteen (16) Delica Beads forms the even count base for the build up. A set of twelve rows covered the whole magnet and hides it fairly well. Now I'm on the look out for a cube shape that might mimic the outside shape of the bracelet.